The present disclosure relates generally to client terminals and particularly to mobile communication devices under different use cases.
Mobile communication devices may offer a wide range of functionality beyond basic voice calls. For example, the functionalities may include text messaging, Instant Messenger (IM) based messaging, mobile internet services, etc. In mobile communication devices such as smartphones and tablets, even more functionalities are integrated such as email, social networking, maps and navigation, and many other applications. In the present disclosure, the terms client terminal, Smartphone, cellular phone, tablet, or mobile communication device are used interchangeably. The various functionalities at the application level in the client terminal may be supported by different underlying Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) technologies. For example, the mobile communication capability for voice call and internet may be provided by a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), or by Wideband code division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system of 3GPP, etc. Alternatively, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), also commonly known as Wi-Fi, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family standards may be used for wireless communication.
The increased functionality of client terminals has led to a common scenario where users are connected to their contacts and to the local, regional, and global events almost all the time. Any event update by any of the applications running in a client terminal may be notified to a user in different ways such as an audible incoming call ringing sound, vibrations, notification beeps and other sounds, flashing display, etc. The various methods of notifying an event to a user are collectively referred herein as event notification alerts. In some cases the notification may include the announcement of the name and phone number for the incoming call. Similarly, in case of text messages, other messages, or emails, the messages may be read aloud by the client terminals.
Bluetooth™ is a short range wireless communication technology. It nominally works in the range of a few meters. The use of Bluetooth has become widespread in conjunction with client terminals for safety and convenience purposes. For example, in many parts of the world, it may be illegal to use a client terminal for making a call or texting directly while driving. In such cases, however, a user may continue to use a client terminal with Bluetooth based headset containing microphone, speaker and basic call control buttons. Example block diagrams showing only high level relevant blocks of a client terminal and a Bluetooth headset are shown in FIG. 1 for a typical use case. The integration of client terminals with vehicles, such as automobiles, has also become widespread. For example, an Automobile Head Unit (AHU) in many automobiles have built-in Bluetooth technology to interface with a user's client terminal as illustrated in FIG. 2 with an example block diagram showing only high level relevant blocks. In another example, a WWAN modem and other functionalities of a client terminal itself may be integrated into an AHU as illustrated in FIG. 2a. 
Making the initial connection between a client terminal and a Bluetooth device is often referred to as pairing the two devices. Once a client terminal and a Bluetooth device are paired, they begin to communicate with each other autonomously when they are in vicinity of each other.
Bluetooth profiles are additional protocols that execute on top of the baseline Bluetooth standard protocols to more specifically define the type of data and how the data is to be used by Bluetooth capable devices that may communicate with each other. For example, the Hands-Free Profile (HFP) may be commonly used to allow client terminals to communicate with hands-free kits in an automobile, i.e., AHU. In another example, the Phone Book Access Profile (PBAP) may be commonly used to allow exchange of Phone Book information between Bluetooth devices. PBAP may be used between an AHU in an automobile and a client terminal, for example, to allow the AHU to display the name of the incoming caller and to allow the AHU to download the phone book so the user can initiate a call from the AHU display.
A commonly used feature of a Bluetooth enabled AHU in an automobile is to enable the driver to make and receive handsfree calls. The incoming call sound may be routed to the speakers built into the automobile and the driver's voice may be picked up by microphones placed strategically inside the automobile. This frees up the driver to focus attention on driving the automobile and reduces distraction due to the use of client terminal. Another common feature of a Bluetooth enabled AHU in an automobile is to read aloud the incoming text messages. This enables the driver to avoid having to read the incoming text messages which may take attention away from driving. In a similar manner, a number of other incoming messages such as emails, social media posts, etc. may be read aloud.
Bluetooth enables the transfer of not only the call audio signals between client terminal and the Bluetooth device but also many other types of information such as the caller name and phone number may be transferred over the Bluetooth link. In another example, the entire address book and call history may be transferred from the client terminal to the Bluetooth device. Most client terminals allow the user the flexibility to enable or disable the various features described above.
While Bluetooth enables any client terminal, capable of Bluetooth, to be integrated with a Bluetooth enabled AHU in an automobile, other methods may be used for interfacing a client terminal with the AHU in the automobile. For example, a client terminal may be connected to the AHU using a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector. In another example, a Lightning® connector may be used to connect a client terminal to the AHU. In another example, an automobile may have a built-in client terminal directly interfacing with the rest of the electronic subsystems in the AHU. In some cases, the same phone number may be used for the built-in client terminal in an automobile and the user's mobile client terminal. When the client terminal is inside an automobile, all the communications may be transferred over to the built-in client terminal. Similarly, when the user leaves the automobile, the communications may be migrated back from the built-in client terminal to the mobile client terminal.
Sometimes when a user (driver) is with one or more passengers in an automobile, and the user receives an incoming call from someone, and the caller's name and number or both are announced by the Bluetooth enabled AHU, a couple of issues may arise. First, the fact that a particular caller called the user becomes known to the other passengers in the automobile. Second, the phone number of the caller becomes known to the other passengers in the automobile. This may not be desirable from the user's perspective and it may not be desirable from the caller's perspective as well. Also it may not be desirable from the passenger's perspective. There may be different social relationship dynamics between different pairs of people within a group of people. Therefore, the announcement of the name and phone number of the caller may present a socially awkward situation. If the incoming text messages or messages from other sources such as email, social media, etc. are read aloud the situation may be further exacerbated.
When a user is using the navigation system, either the one in the client terminal or the one built-in the AHU, it may be even more important for the user to focus on driving since the user may be in an unfamiliar area. Under such conditions, it may be desirable to avoid any incoming calls being announced, and to avoid text messages, or any other type of messages being read aloud.
There is a need for a means to judiciously balance the use the technology in the AHU of an automobile to assist the driver to focus on driving while using a client terminal and the need to maintain the privacy when required.